Employees Retirement System of Texas Buys 96,700 Shares of Danaher Corporation $DHR

Employees Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) by 30.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 414,438 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 96,700 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Danaher were worth $94,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DHR. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Danaher in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Danaher during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Danaher in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. 79.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Danaher Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of DHR stock opened at $172.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $182.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $208.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $122.42 billion, a PE ratio of 33.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.81. Danaher Corporation has a 12-month low of $160.93 and a 12-month high of $242.80.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The conglomerate reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $5.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6 billion. Danaher had a return on equity of 10.91% and a net margin of 14.89%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Danaher Corporation will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. Danaher’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DHR shares. Wolfe Research lowered their price target on Danaher from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Danaher from $265.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Danaher from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup began coverage on Danaher in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $230.00 price target on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Danaher in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.24.

Danaher Profile

Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR) is a global science and technology company that designs, manufactures and markets products and services for the life sciences, diagnostics, and environmental and applied markets. The company organizes its operations into business segments focused on Life Sciences, Diagnostics, and Environmental & Applied Solutions, supplying instruments, reagents, software and related services that support research, clinical testing, biopharmaceutical development, and industrial and environmental monitoring.

Products and services in Danaher’s portfolio include analytical and diagnostic instruments, laboratory consumables and reagents, digital and software solutions for workflow and data management, field and industrial monitoring equipment, and service and maintenance programs.